The invention is used in conjunction with Enhanced 911 (E911) for emergency situations.
A universal emergency number such as 911 has vastly improved emergency services. A caller in trouble can dial a single, easy-to-remember, easy-to-dial number to reach a central operator who can dispatch the needed service, such as police, fire, or ambulance. Enhanced 911 uses special computers and display screens, and selective routing and call transfer to identify the caller""s location and telephone number and to provide services more efficiently.
In many instances, a 911 caller hangs up before all relevant information is conveyed to the 911 operator. Sometimes this is because the caller is flustered or disoriented; sometimes an intruder or an emergency situation forces the caller to hang up. Often the operator has insufficient information to respond adequately to the situation. The operator can call back, but if the original caller is unable to answer the phone, the questions go unanswered. The operator then must guess as to what services are needed. What is needed is a way for a 911 operator to get more information from an emergency caller who has hung up.
The present invention allows a 911 operator to call back a telephone that has laced a 911 call without ringing the caller""s telephone, and silently to monitor a potentially hazardous situation. The invention also allows the 911 facility to communicate instructions and to receive information from a hands-free caller who need to take the telephone off hook.
FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a 911 system of the background art.
FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of a 911 system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a more detailed flow chart of a method of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic depiction of a private security system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of the invention as implemented in a private security system.
FIG. 7 is a more detailed flow chart of the method of FIG. 6.